So I am thinking about rolling a new ranged DPS class and I am torn between a Hunter or a Warlock.

What are some cool stuff that really make Hunters stand out?

Pets, there is a big variety of them, some with really cool skins. Gotta catch them all. (On a side note, if you raid 10 man, you may be pigeon-holed to bring a certain pet-type to provide a missing buff)

Originally Posted by Pmunk

How easy is a Hunter to play in a raid environment and such?

You'll start fights by spamming all your cooldowns, using readiness, and them spamming them all again.
After that you just use your signature move as soon as possible, then generate and dump focus accordingly

I just said a very simplified version of the way hunters play at 90 (It's not 100% accurate at all). We have a lot of skills that need to be keybound, and sometimes you'll have to pay attention to your pet to prevent it from getting one shotted.

Originally Posted by Pmunk

And most importantly, how FUN is a Hunter to play?

Subjective, but I personally found it fun in WotlK and Cata, not so much now.

Originally Posted by Pmunk

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

If you find the class's mechanics fun, play it regardless of the current state of it.

For the most part, what the above poster said is accurate and how I feel as well. (I have both classes at lvl 90)

Don't believe what they all say here, hunters are not average, they are mid top this tier if played correctly (sadly enough 90% of the parses aren't good hunters), vs warlocks which are imo overpowered and everyone can play them right these days. I think a hunter takes far more skill to play than a lock and I get more satisfaction out of it.

However, you gotta ask yourself these questions :

1) Do you like to dot stuff and do this entire fights long (and keep track of the dots so you don't lose dps)?
2) Do you like to play the real pet class in the game (yes warlocks and mages don't count, warlock = shadow priest with pet)?

2) Do you like to play the real pet class in the game (yes warlocks and mages don't count, warlock = shadow priest with pet)?

Eh, I agree Mages are not a real pet class, but Warlocks really are a pet class (unless you use GoSac) they rely on their pets for a good portion of their damage and their abilities for utility. It's a core part of the class like a Hunter.

Eh, I agree Mages are not a real pet class, but Warlocks really are a pet class (unless you use GoSac) they rely on their pets for a good portion of their damage and their abilities for utility. It's a core part of the class like a Hunter.

Hunters are a pet class where the pet itself also choses to be the companion for life.

Warlocks on the other hand enslaved demonic pets to be their minions, even against their will.

Therefor hunters are the real pet class and warlocks are frauds. Yes I'm that farfetched :P

Warlocks have a lot more utility and are better overall dps imo (i have a 90 hunter and an 85 warlock). If you're talking from a raiding perspective then Warlocks are better and more versatile, but from a wholistic standpoint I think hunter is a better class to play. Try them both and see which one you like better.

You will enjoy both. Both have their positives and negatives.I no longer enjoy warlocks because of the major changes they go through with every patch, I currently have one lvl 85 and my hunter is level 90.
The main difference:

Mana VS Focus......... You will rarely complain about your mana, you have plenty unlike hunter who starves very often.

DPS Nuke: We are often asked to nuke a boss by by spamming our strongest spell...a hunter cannot spam anything your spells have cooldown and you focus regen is slow.

Mail VS Cloth, as a hunter you will rarely die by taking big blows from mobs, you can escape almost all death situations by feign death spell, deterrence and freeze trap, Scatter Shot, Disengage or by using aspect of the Cheetah. a warlock has only fear,teleport and in bad situation a warlock can leech health.

Raid Utilization: Most guilds may require only 1 hunter in 25 man dungeon, they prefer a warlock for Soul Stone, Health Stone and Portal and DPS maximization.

Solo Old Content, both can do that and it is very situational, you may find soloing X boss very easy with a hunter over a warlock and vice versa.

a hunter is easier to solo things due to his mail armor and good dps from pet. you can heal your pet anytime you want instantly, warlock has channeled spell Funnel Health, 3 sec cast time. with a hunter you can CC 2 mobs at once by using freezing trap and Wyvern Sting.

Edit: the best moments I enjoyed my warlock was during the Burning Crusade, being able to enslave most demons including elites lvl 70. MoP has no demons

I think this comes down to your history as a gamer, mainly wow.
Do you have a rich history? Go with hunter. You will find out that you can get a lot more out of your class then 90% of the average hunters out there.
Did you just started this game (as in 1-2 years ago) You will find out that hunter is quite a difficult class to play and will not get your satisfaction. Go with warlock.